At the turn of the 20th century, Auguste Escoffier modernised cooking methods and laid the foundations for French haute cuisine.
He was the most famous chef of his time and was also known as ‘the king of chefs and chef of kings’, just like his esteemed predecessors Antonin Carême and Jules Gouffé. While all three were considered the founders of French haute cuisine, Auguste Escoffier went one step further and played a leading role in defining the very concept of restaurant as we know it today.
A self-made man, this son of a blacksmith worked his way up the ladder, starting off as a commis chef at his uncle’s restaurant in Cannes. Escoffier soon proved himself not only inventive in terms of his cuisine, but also rigorous and organised in leading a brigade. He moved to Paris to work at the Petit Moulin Rouge, became head chef at the Rhine Army headquarters during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, then took over the reins of the highly renowned Maison Chevet, which in those days organised dinners across Paris and various European capital cities. It was while working there that Auguste Escoffier first encountered the most prominent chefs of the time and began to make a name for himself. He had a talent for making famous guests feel special, naming his latest creations after each one. As a result, his menu featured dishes such as salade Eugénie (a salad created in honour of the Empress), fraises Sarah Bernhardt (strawberries with pineapple and Curaçao sorbet), timbale Garibaldi (a dish cooked in a round mould) and poulet George Sand (chicken with crayfish sauce). Not forgetting the famous pêche Melba (Peach Melba) in reference to Nellie Melba, who was starring in Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin at the time. He also created poire Belle-Hélène – a dessert with poached pears in syrup topped with warm chocolate sauce – in tribute to Offenbach’s eponymous opera.
Not only did Auguste Escoffier excel in the kitchen, but he was also a shrewd businessman. The expansion of the railway network in the late 19th century helped turn the French Riviera into the aristocracy and bourgeoisie’s favourite holiday destination. Escoffier was aged around 30 when he became chef for hotel manager César Ritz, first in Cannes and then in Monte Carlo. Together they invented the luxury hotel standards that we still enjoy today and in which French fine dining continues to play a key role.
Alongside Ritz, he joined the kitchens at the Savoy in London before both men took their business partnership to the next level. They built the Ritz Hotel in Paris, followed by the Carlton in London and many other establishments across the globe under the Ritz Carlton brand.
Auguste Escoffier transformed the way in which kitchens were organised. He made wearing a uniform compulsory, prohibited chefs from drinking alcohol and smoking, implemented task specialisation and significantly improved efficiency and productivity as a result. He introduced fixed price menus, simplified recipes and pared down plates. His methods were truly revolutionary. A man of small stature, he was keen to assert authority over his brigades and organised them in a quasi-military way, deciding to wear a chef’s toque. In this respect, Auguste Escoffier left a lasting and unparalleled mark.
It was during his lifetime that Escoffier was most renowned. The master chef was famous worldwide and was approached both to set up the brigades of transatlantic cruise liners and to organise the coronation dinner for King George VII. A best-selling food writer, he published a lot of his recipes and at the grand age of 82 established the World Association of Chefs’ Societies with the aim of “advancing the profession and leveraging the influence of the chef’s coat for both the good of the industry and humanity in general.” An extensive programme spearheaded by a man whose commanding presence in the kitchen is difficult for us to imagine – in his time and still to this day. Over the course of their careers, Alain Ducasse, Joël Robuchon and Paul Bocuse have all claimed association with his legacy when showcasing some of their own creations. As for the organisation Escoffier brought to the kitchen, it has remained virtually unchanged ever since.